The Epitaph Volume 63, Issue 8, 2025-26

Potential limits threaten pickleball courts

AP world language changes are a fumble

The Epitaph

ASB introduces new environmental spirit week

Earth Week promotes sustainability awareness among students

ASB sustainability commissioners, sophomore Cynthia Li and junior Sravika Nemani, introduced Earth Week, a new spirit week held from May 18 to May 22. Students participated in several activities, including patchwork and bike races, all of which aimed to educate them about sustainability, Cynthia Li said.

“We want to show students that climate work can be fun,” Cynthia Li said. “That’s why we’re implementing a lot of interactive activities with the ultimate goal of teaching students that their voice is the loudest when they talk about climate.

to happen. They’re going out there and saying, ‘We want to do this thing’. Perfect, then let’s do it. Let’s gather the needed resources.”

Deciding on a date for the week proved challenging, as they had to consider the other end of the year events and rallies that would be occurring, Nemani said.

With the thrift store event from last semester attracting students and making profitable sales, Nemani said they aimedto create another successful event for this semester.

“I hope [students] start to understand that there are sustainability initiatives on campus, and they are more active in joining and helping out,” Nemani said.

We want to show students that climate work can be fun. Their voice is the loudest when they talk about climate.

-Cynthia

Students are busy, and when busy people make time to talk about important issues, it’s a lot more prevalent and loud.”

Beginning planning in January, Cynthia Li and Nemani were able to successfully execute their vision due to their dedication to sustainability activism, Almendarez said.

“Any of the growth that has happened this year has been because of the commissioners,” Almendarez said. “They’ve done a fantastic job with being proactive rather than just hanging back and waiting for things

“It seems so daunting, this giant thing of climate change and plastic, like it seems almost inevitable that we’re doomed. But really, there are things that we can be doing to make an im pact.”

Li (10)

The patchwork event, where students guessed which popular brands are fast fashion, allowed students to learn about the negative effects it has on the environment, junior Lily Li said.

“Everyone should thrift be cause it’s way better for the en vironment, and all those clothes would be in a landfill otherwise,” Lily Li said. “But [at a thrift store] you can find clothes that are no lon

ger made or different from the styles that you find in the malls, a lot of unique pieces and I think it usually tends to be cheaper.”

With many other events, like dances and rallies wasting lots of materials, Almendarez said the sustainability section of ASB will likely grow and continue to implement more ways the school can be conscious with its resources.

“Looking forward, I think [the sustainability commissioners] will make these things a regular part of HHS’s culture. We’re going to have this thrift store, [and] we’re going to have these sustainability events,”

to implement events and activities that students can participate in to promote sustainability.

EL reclassification bridges language barriers

American Studies makes organizational changes

Sanjeet Jayaseelan and Advay Ranade

Students find success through rigorous testing tro said. “[Passing means] the student is fully immersed in the English language and has passed most of the classes with a good grade. It’s a big accomplishment for students, administration and teachers.”

After months of studying, English Language Department students demonstrated their English fluency through a multistep reclassification process, ELD teacher Adrian Buenrostro said.

“ELD reclassification is a big event for ELD and for HHS, because it takes so many years for several of our students to be able to be reclassified in school,” Buenros-

In November and December, the school received the scores for the students’ Summative English Language Proficiency Assessments for California, which were taken last spring, ELD site coordinator Grace Henson said.

See EL reclassification, page 2

Class structure, student schedules to be adjusted simultaneously, like previous years, and one section taught by one teacher at a time, similar to a standard class, Aguirre said.

Natasha Bandil and Sanjeet Jayaseelan

Enrollment in American Studies, a cotaught English and history course, has significantly dropped from 120 students to 90 for the upcoming 2026-2027 school year, English department lead James Aguirre said.

To accommodate fewer students, the course will be restructured with one AMSTUD section co-taught by two teachers

“It’ll still be the AMSTUD curriculum, and both teachers will still incorporate all of their lessons,” Aguirre said, “We’re just changing the structure of one class a little bit to give students their first preference. It’s still the same level of support, just a different kind of environment.”

Homestead High School 21370 Homestead Rd, Cupertino, CA 95014

Drake freezes the world with ‘ICEMAN’

PhotobyOliviaLevesqueO

Hector Almendarez said the sustainability commissioners will continue

Olivia Levesque Ouellette and Selina Wang

News in a minute

Ethan Xue

Local: Bay to Breakers celebrates 113th costumed race

A sea of runners lined San Francisco’s streets in the 113th annual Bay to Breakers 7.5-mile footrace on May 17, according to the San Francisco Standard. During the world-famous race, athletes wore colorful costumes, which ranged from movie characters and butterflies to even Cheetos bags, according to the San Francisco Standard.

Although the weather was sunny, high winds prevented runners from their planned ocean plunge at the end of the race, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.

A surprise participant, BTS rapper Suga, made a secret entrance in the race, according to San Francisco Chronicle.

As the longest-running annual footrace in the world, this year’s Bay to Breakers attracted over 30,000 participants in total, according to NBC.

Regional: Wildfires hit multiple cities in southern California

Due to high heat and dry conditions, over eight wildfires are burning across southern California as of May 21, according to The Guardian.

As a result, close to 40,000 residents have been evacuated from affected areas where homes are being destroyed, according to KTLA.

In coming days, firefighters will continue containment efforts to ensure that winds do not spread the damage to neighboring areas, according to Los Angeles Times.

For more information on the location and progression of each fire, visit fire.ca.gov/incidents.

National: Trump exempted from IRS, diverts billions to compensation fund

For nearly four months, president Donald Trump has pursued a $10 billion lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service over a leak of his tax returns in previous years, according to PBS.

In return for dropping the lawsuit, acting attorney general Todd Blanche signed a Justice Department document on May 19, stating that the IRS will exempt Trump, his family and his businesses from any existing financial audits, according to Politico.

This decision comes a day after Trump’s administration announced the creation of a $1.776 billion “anti-weaponization” fund for individuals deemed unfairly targeted by government actions, according to BBC. The fund uses money from the

Potential limits threaten pickleball courts

Courts face reduced hours, students lead protests

Olivia Levesque Ouellette and Selina Wang

To address recurring noise complaints from surrounding residents, the pickleball courts at Memorial Park in Cupertino are facing potential restrictions that would reduce playing hours and request players to purchase quiet equipment, Cupertino Pickleball Club leader Catherine Chiu said.

This trial would reduce accessible hours for students.

Memorial part is one of the only parks that is nearby and free of cost, pickleball club secretary, senior Rohan Bedekar said.

Students are already limited in terms of when they can use the courts since they’re in school from 8:30 to 4 pm. Restricting the time would mean

EL classes

Continued from page 1

Students who scored above a four out of five and had a C or above in all of their core academic classes in the fall semester then took either the Gates-MacGinitie Reading Test and AR STAR test, Henson said.

After achieving a passing grade on the exam and a writing test, EL students are transferred out of the program.

“[Completing the test] means they have finally accomplished their goal of mastering the English language, and it’s good to see the growth,” Henson said. “They started out not knowing a lot, and then at the end, they have fulfilled all the requirements, and they would be okay in any English course.”

This year, 23 students successfully passed every test and reclassified, making them eligible to take courses without any English language aid, Henson said.

On the other hand, students who did not meet the requirements were transferred to a higher level within the EL program, allowing them to receive additional support and resources to continue improving their scores and retest next year, Buenrostro said.

In preparation for the examination process, Buenrostro said

fewer available hours for students to play outside of school, pickleball club president, senior Adam Orrin said.

Chiu said her club organized a protest against the trial at the city council meeting on May 5, with members and an HHS student delivering speeches in opposition to the trial.

“We had a kid [who is] eight years old, who spoke about playing there, and we had a lady who is over 80 years old who spoke and said she played there,” Chiu said. “I know we have people who have lost loved ones who play there because they want to plug in, they want to be active [and] they find that community really mentally supportive and socially healthy for them.”

Not only does this trial harm members of the Cupertino Pickleball club, but it also harms students, Orrin said.

“We have one of the fastest

between students and teachers.

Beyond standard classwork, students practiced independently to workshop individual challenges, such as reading and writing, junior Angel Gabriel said.

“When I came here, I wasn’t able to speak clearly or even read stuff,” Gabriel said. “ELD [helped] a lot with writing, especially with the essays, activities [and] spelling. The other [part is] my relationship with people from outside school or video games. I do speak a little bit of English with people around that area.”

Although the preparation process was lengthy and challenging, Buenrostro said watching students meet the exam standards before the ELD graduation was gratifying and reflected their dedication to passing.

“As a teacher, it means a lot to me because I get to see the students progress successfully. Meeting those standards and ultimately reclassifying before graduation is really important to me because it speaks about the great work they did in high school and all that effort they have put into this,” Buenrostro said. “Because the assessments are not easy, the ELPAC is like the AP English test, it’s not easy for a lot of our students. [I am] definitely very proud of [them].”

growing and newest clubs at HHS, and because students don’t have access to pickleball courts, the only and the most convenient and accessible way for them to access that for free is Memorial Park,” Orrin said. “These restrictions will limit the accessibility of the courts to students who already have full schedules.”

Moreover, there have already been multiple restrictions put in place by the Cupertino Pickleball Club in an attempt to satisfy both the neighbors and the players, Bedekar said.

Though many spoke at the meeting, Orrin, who attended the event, said he felt as if their opinions were disregarded by the council.

“If you have a great public service and people are coming from far away to visit, coming to your city to use your service, that’s something really beautiful, and something you should be proud of, not something you should try and gatekeep,” Orrin said.

The Epitaph has reached out to the city, but was unable to receive a statement from them.

American Studies

Continued from page 1

On the other hand, AP U.S. History and Honors American Literature will increase in sections, principal Denae Nurnberg said.

With fewer sections of the class running next year, AMSTUD teachers will need to take on other courses to maintain full-time status, Aguirre said.

“The teachers who have been teaching it have been teaching it for a long time, and they love it,” Aguirre said. “It is a challenge when suddenly you have to go teach a new class, or a class you haven’t taught in a really long time.”

AMSTUD combines both subjects into a single course, junior Zainab Baig said. Literature often receives more dedicated time and attention compared to history, Baig said.

“It’s a lot of collaborative [work, and] a lot of talking with peers,” Baig said. “For example, for history we had quite a few presentations throughout the school year, and even for [English]. Right now, there’s just presentations going around, so the class schedule is a lot of

presentations and just working with our groups.”

Looking to take APUSH for the upcoming year, sophomore Nikith Janjanam said decrease in AMSTUD enrollment may be driven by students choosing more AP classes to strengthen their college applications.

“When I’m scrolling through Instagram, I’ll see a reel about some student with all these insane APs and not getting into good schools,” Janjanam said. “It makes me feel like I need to do better than them.”

Despite lower enrollment, AMSTUD will remain one of the most personalized English and history courses on campus, Aguirre said.

“I don’t think it’s a worse version, it’s just a different kind of fish tank that we’re doing it in, but we’re also trying to make sure that people have their first choice class that they signed up for,” Aguirre said. “There is no other English or history class on campus that is as one-on-one-based as AMSTUD is, and it’s going to be a great year.”

What’s in the future for AMSTUD?

New Class Structure:

Section 1: Co-taught by English teacher Lisa Clausnitzer and social studies teacher Marc Gon zalez simultaneously

Teaching changes: AMSTUD teachers will take on new courses to maintain full-time status.

Overall: Total students in all classes decreases from 120 to 90 students.

As a nearly daily visitor of the courts, Adam Orrin said the trial would harm both the community and his routine.

Photo courtesy of Grace Henson

Students celebrated the joy of reclassification after years of success in various levels of the EL program on May 6 in the staff lounge,

Photo courtesy of Adam Orrin

Infographic by Natasha Bandil and Sanjeet Jayaseelan

Staff Editorial Opinion

EPITAPH DIVERSITY AUDIT

As a student newspaper, The Epitaph is responsible for reflecting student voices. After conducting our first diversity audit last year and gauging the disparities of race, gender and grade level between Epitaph sourcing and the student body, we have once again evaluated to continue working toward diverse representation.

The goal of this audit is to analyze the success of actions taken from last year’s evaluation and makes changes for the future.

This year, we studied race, gender and grade level disparities within The Epitaph’s sourcing using methods similar to last year. Although we have shown some progress, there is still a ways go before our sourcing accurately represents HHS.

Race:

Exemplifying this, The Epitaph’s sourcing still does not adequately represent the racial demographic on campus. This year, we continued to misrepresent Asian and Hispanic/Latino students.

Asian students account for 43% of the student body, but 53% of our interviewees are Asian students, an over-representation of 10%. Even so, we did improve from last year, lowering our exorbitant Asian representation by 6%.

Hispanic/Latino students were conversely underrepresented than last year, but to a slightly lesser degree. They account for 11% of students that we interview despite being 21% of the student body, averaging a minimal improvement of 2%.

By contrast, white and biracial students were both represented nearly perfectly, a large improvement from last year.

Having diversity in race for our sources, is essential to capture a wide

range of perspectives and lifestyles from the entire school. By not evenly representing all races, the data we collect and articles we write do not accurately reflect our school as a whole.

Gender:

Our gender data also shows a large disparity between our sourcing and the student body.

Female students make up 57% of our sources, yet they are only 48% of the students on campus. Conversely, male students are underrepresent ed, making up 42% of sources compared to 52% of students.

This is a decline in represen tation accuracy from last year, where 56% of our sources were female and 44% were male. Com pared to last year, a vast majori ty of Epitaph staffers are females, which sourcing disparity could be a contributing factor to this. Consequently, male representation decreases within our sourcing, poten tially devaluing the opinions and ideas of another large group.

Grade Level:

Contrasting gender and race, grade level representation is an area where we sizably improved.

While freshmen have still been underrepresented this year, making up only 14% of sources while being 22% of the student body, their interview percentage increased by 7.1%. Even so, there was still a small discrepancy in underclassman representation, with sophomores making up 22% of sources while accounting for 26% of students on campus.

Similar to the graph concerning race, the graph shows the difference in the proportion of each gender in the student body and Epitaph sourcing while also comparing to last year.

Diversity Progress Bar

Underclassmen and upperclassmen may differ heavily in opinion due to age differences, so equal representation is es-

Keeping this in mind, seniors were still overrepresented at 36% while making up 26% of the school population.

This pattern is directly correlated with The Epitaph’s larger upperclassman representation.

Underclassmen make up just as much of the community as upperclassmen, so we must continue this

To make our coverage more representative, The Epitaph must strengthen how we track and source information.

Primarily, we must consistently update our source tracking spreadsheet to ensure all sources are included.

The source tracking spreadsheet was a new system created this year for reporters to improve diversity, but was not updated consistently. To rectify this, section editors will be required next year to

percentages on the graph show the difference in the proportion of each race in the student body and The Epitaph’s sourcing. Using these differences, we can see how close we were to achieving full diversity in specific races. Each group contains two bars which compare the results of the audits across last year and this year.

check the sheet at the end of each newspaper cycle to ensure reporters accurately record sources.

Additionally, staff members require more outreach training and journalism curriculum should include teaching reporters how to talk to a wider range of students.

This can be implemented through specific instructions for reporters on how to find sources that are new to The Epitaph, which will be taught at the beginning of each year to establish a foundation.

Furthermore, we will expand our coverage of ethnic clubs. Currently, only one person is obligated to cover ethnic clubs, limiting the attention to equal representation.

Since there are more ethnic clubs than are possible for a single person to cover, we will require a second reporter to cover additional clubs each cycle. This will allow more clubs and students to be represented while also including diverse voices in our coverage as a paper.

This diversity audit is meant to hold us accountable to accurate representation at HHS. The Epitaph has made some progress since last year, but we hope to return next year with even more growth.

The Epitaph Editorial Board voted unanimously, 11-0 on this stance.

The following progress bar aggregates differences in percentages shown on above graphs across race, gender and grade level to show the total accuracy of the Epitaph’s sourcing throughout the year. The graph shows an 8% increase in accuracy.

The Epitaph is a non-profit publication at Homestead High School, 21370 Homestead Rd., Cupertino, CA 95014. The Epitaph is a designated forum for student expression and not subject to prior review, in accordance to Education Code 49807. The staff is comprised of HHS Journalism students. Views expressed do not necessarily represent views of the school, its staff or the district. Editorials are opinions of the editorial board. The Epitaph welcomes letters to the editor but reserves the right to edit submissions. Letters should be limited to 300 words. Include contact information. Unsigned letters cannot be published, but names will be withheld upon request. Send via homestead.epitaph@gmail.com, or drop letters in the newsroom or the office mailbox.

If The Epitaph has made an error, please send corrections to homestead.epitaph@gmail.com. The corrections will be published in the corrections box for the next issue.

To reach the Epitaph in C102, call (408) 522-2572.

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Supreme Court weakens minority vote

Decision undermines Voting Rights Act

Sachin Chandran

COLUMN—In 1965, the Voting Rights Act was instituted, guaranteeing equal representation for African Americans after 200 years of segregation and oppression. In 2026, after 60 years of “progress,” the Supreme Court stripped this fundamental necessity away from those who need it most.

By a vote of 6-3 in favor of the conservative majority, the highest court in America ruled against a congressional district map drawn up to create a second majority Black American district in Louisiana. Their rationale states it was divided unfairly based on race, rendering it unconstitutional, according to CBS.

This ruling strips away the voting power of minorities living outside of the current majority Black district, allowing them to be suppressed and trampled by those in government who wish to silence them.

To rectify this, U.S. residents must protest against this mistake, and the Supreme Court must revise or repeal its decision.

Essentially, the ruling prevents states from creating maps based on race, which undermines enforcement of the Voting Rights Act, as states must be able to create racial maps to platform minority voters, according to The New Yorker.

By deciding to hide race as a factor in map creation, the court has inadvertently increased the racial divide. If the Voting Rights Act cannot be upheld, then representation for minority groups will decrease in the future, as maps will be drawn up to eliminate the equality they are entitled to.

To combat this, the American public must voice their opposition to the court’s decision. Without the support of citizens, there will be little pressure on the court to right their wrongs in the future.

However, it should not take the American public’s outrage for the court to rethink their decision. In future cases relating to voting rights, they must take every possible measure to re-enfranchise minorities or else our country will continue to divide and silence those who deserve a voice.

AP world language changes are a fumble

College Board removes testing of valuable skills

Elina Li

A rush of panic and adrenaline hits me as the prompt for the cultural presentation, the final free-response question on the AP Chinese test, is unveiled. Recording starts after minimal preparation time, and ready or not you must speak, trying your best to construct sentences and keep up with your own train of thought.

Currently, every AP language test taker faces the daunting task of the surprise speaking prompt. Next year, though, College Board will replace the speaking portion with a course project that students complete over four months.

By implementing these changes, they lower the bar for students to be considered highly proficient. These shifts should be reworked to have more balanced, rigorous requirements that put both language use and conversational skills to the test.

For the new project, stu-

dents will research a prompt released in January to create a three-minute presentation delivered live on exam day. The essential simulated conversation will be replaced with a four-question Q&A about the project.

Removing the impromptu speaking aspect of AP language tests leaves out an immensely useful metric for evaluating speaking skills.

In real scenarios, people normally use languages without prior preparation. Therefore, the impromptu section efficiently separates students who are competent speakers from those who can only operate in classroom environments.

The change was made to better align with college-level courses, according to College Board. However, since college language classes are more verbally demanding than those at the high school level, the new project culminates in a failure to hold students at a high standard as intended.

Currently, a group presentation for a Japanese project at HHS would take up to a month to complete, Japanese teacher

Group projects create unfair standards

Guidelines must be revised to ensure equality

Kanmani Raguraman

As we unveil our recently graded assignments, my teammates cheer in excitement to see the letter ‘A’ appear on the screen. However, instead of sharing that excitement, I feel overlooked as they show off their success on a project where I did most of the work.

Currently, most group projects are unfair for students, as they are given overall grades without consideration of the individual work each member actually did. By assigning roles for each student, teachers can take the weight off of those who tend to pick up extra work for a good grade.

A successful group’s most important factor is coordination, which includes figuring out schedules, making decisions together and most importantly, splitting up the work, according to a Carnegie Mellon study.

based on individual contributions. Therefore, students receive grades based on what they complete, increasing individual responsibility.

In my biology class, each student in a group had to independently work on a poster related to a subtopic provided to them. Thus, my teacher was able to score them based on individual efforts while also giving us opportunities to work collaboratively during sections of the project.

It is possible to have a group that can evenly split work and still collaborate. All departments on campus should learn from this system and implement similar guidelines to bolster fairness and encourage student effort.

Another way that teachers could more effectively assign projects is by requiring group members to anonymously grade each other based on peer reflections.

Teachers would factor the students’ input into their actual grade, providing them with more awareness of their own efforts throughout the project.

Junko Birdsong said. Therefore, the new three minute presentation that provides students with ample time to prepare provides no challenge.

Additionally, the revised speaking section lacks a surprise factor, as the project Q&A can be anticipated ahead of time, as well. In this way, the test gives students too much preparation time, unlike impromptu formats, where their skills are put on display.

Languages are mostly used to communicate with fellow speakers, and a vital part of that is reacting to unexpected conversations and quickly deciding how to respond best.

An AP language test should not negate the skill of spontaneity in the target language.

If College Board wants to simulate a college workload, they should increase the time pressure

Subsequently, if groups are not assigned specific tasks, they will suffer from a lack of coordination, leading to an unequal distribution of work.

Personally, the clear inequity of past group projects at school has constantly left both me and my friends stressed and exhausted over work that could have easily been split among teammates.

To fix this problem, teachers should assign clear tasks to each team member and grade them

Apart from these reflections, teachers can also support students by checking in with group members to see what work is getting done and talking to the group to adjust the workload.

This will make students more productive and active during class, as they are consistently being held responsible for their own grade.

Group projects are a great way to show collaboration, and students must be graded based on the work they personally complete.

on students to complete the project by reducing the process to two months. Additionally, to keep a part of the speaking section a surprise, they should leave the current conversation unchanged so that one part tests cultural knowledge and the other evaluates raw speaking skills.

However the changes unfold, teachers should make sure they continue to incorporate more conversational emphasis in class. Students must be held accountable to learn a language to its fullest, even if the official AP test does not require it.

Stop buying into the admissions process

Stronger alternatives to counselors must be provided

In an area where college admissions may feel overwhelming, many students believe that private counseling is a required step in the process, holding the same importance as AP courses, SAT prep and extracurriculars.

However, even though hiring private counselors is common, it is unnecessary for a student’s success in college applications. There are other comparable resources available to everyone that are also free of cost.

Private college counselors are expensive, and for most students, they are definitely not worth the high costs. Many pay thousands of dollars for one-on-one guidance for college lists, essay editing and application strategy, according to Ivy Coach.

While affluent families can afford to overlook this bloated pricing, it is unrealistic for the average person to spend such an exorbitant amount. Stu

money for tuition rather than gambling it on a consultant who may leave them disappointed.

To level the playing field of college applications for all students, the college and career center should better organize and share resources on essays, deadlines, testing and application planning.

By organizing resources on the school website and making announcements, the center can ensure it is benefiting students who feel uncertain and confused about the application process.

Apart from the college and career center, students can also utilize online resources created by the Common App. This service offers free guidance for those applying to multiple colleges, including explanations of respective application processes and essay sections.

Additionally, corporations like Questbridge provide free articles for all students and cheaper resources for high-achieving juniors from low-income backgrounds. Instead of paying thousands for private counseling, students can utilize free, accessible resources to attend a college of their choosing. If HHS provides more application-focused resources and if students utilize online resources, they can face college applications with confidence and equal opportunity with others.

Natasha Bandil

College counselors are not worth their high fees, as there are effective online alternatives.

Illustration by Elina Li

Illustration by Ivy Guo

The changes make the speaking section almost entirely a matter of practice and memorization, preventing it from accurately assessing skills.

Illustration by Natasha Bandil

Working on group projects are not beneficial unless responsibilities and credit is split fairly between members.

Next stop: memory lane, Page 2

Post-secondary plans, Page 4-5

Hungry for success, Page 7

TheEpitaphclassof2026presents The Chapter F I N A L

Giving back to ‘The Giving Tree,’ Page 3

The world of adventure, trust and pixie dust, Page 6

Senior superlatives, Page 8

Seniors, settle down for one last storytime as we revisit our favorite children’s books, featuring elements of the class of 2026’s high school experience alongside memorable titles, from an adventurous school bus to an ambitious caterpillar.

As characters in

Hop aboard as seniors reminisce on cherished destinations and campus moments

What was your favorite school

activity?

“This past winter season for Winter guard, we won our local circuit championship for the first time in 10 years. I’m really going to miss the people and the coaches. I’ve formed close bonds with these people, and a lot of them are really good friends of mine. I might continue in college, but it’s never going to be the same as high school.”

What

“During BOTC this year, we bought shirts from Michaels. We painted our hand prints on them and our own little designs. I’m gonna miss being able to hang out with my friend because both of us are going to colleges that are far away from where we live now, and it was special because I got to hang out with her.”

“The senior walk-in at the start of the year was fun and is one of my favorite memories. We ran in, and my friend ran in, and he fell over, and then everyone tripped over him.”

was your go-to, off-campus destination?

Sunnyvale Public Library:

“I would often go there to study for major exams, or when I felt like it would be nice to study with friends. When I enter the library, all my thoughts drown out. I can focus on whatever task I brought to accomplish at the library.”

Starbucks on Fremont Avenue and Mary Avenue in Sunnyvale:

“I've spent so much time there studying, and then a lot of times during lunch, my friend group also goes there. In general, especially junior year, it was always a place I could go, so I could focus and do all my work.”

Where have you made the most memories on campus?

“The cafeteria is a good open space to be in with my friends, and we established it sophomore year. It’s been where we all come to hang out, and it’s near all the food places too, so it’s an rson Chang

Chipotle on Homestead Road in Cupertino:

Rancho San Antonio:

“I like going hiking in Rancho San Antonio. It's just very peaceful. I like going to the farm that they have, and one time I got to work on the farm with my brothers. It was a really fun and memorable experience.”

“I've had so many memories with all my good friends there. I love the food, but also the vibe of the place, next to school, is special. You'll go and you'll see people from school. Also, there's a bunch of windows, and you're sitting on the bar. There's sunlight, people are talking, things are moving. It’s a good vibe.”

“[Social studies teacher Greg Russo’s tutorial] is fun because we don’t even have to text ‘Where are you going?’ anymore in the group chat. For senior year, I wanted to have a place to just go and not have to think about work. I have always hated tutorial, because I find it a waste of my time, but now I look forward to hanging out with my friends.”

“I’m going to miss the band room [and] being surrounded by music and musicians, finding my community at school, being surrounded by like-minded people and talking about our passions. I'm gonna miss the environment there with all my friends.”

“The Magic School Bus” book series by Joanna Cole embarked on unforgettable, educational adventures, Mustangs made lifelong memories during their high school years.

— Chloe Wang

— Melissa Wu

— Jacob Graff

— Nadav Zelenko

— Moyosola Erogbogbo — M oyosola

— Monty Morrison — M onty

— Alyssa Kolin

— Ian Dodson

Senior Spotlight

Giving back to ‘The Giving Tree’

“The Giving Tree” by Shel Silverstein taught us that to avoid exploitive selfishness, we must give what we get. Seniors reflect on giving back, from local projects to advice for underclassmen.

Reaching a branch out

Whether it’s sharing talents or raising medical awareness, students are able to contribute to our community in many creative and impactful ways. These two seniors share the significance of making a difference through events they organized.

Archit Gunhal, emcee and director of Homstead’s Got Talent

“With Homestead’s Got Talent, what I was able to do? I was able to create my own jokes. No matter how bad they might have been, no matter how corny they might have been, I was able to put my humor out there. It got reciprocated in a way that just made me feel so good, because the feeling when you’re stepping on stage and you’re looking at the crowd, the cheers that [the audience] has for you and the laughter that they that they laugh from the bottom of their hearts. It’s the best feeling in the world. And Homestead’s Got Talent gave that to me. I’ll be forever grateful.”

Ryan Chian, cardiac arrest survivor and campus Heart Screening organizer

“My mom and I helped contact one of the doctors that we knew when we did [the heart screening] at HHS. I would say it’s something that is important to me, especially because at the heart screening last year, there were some people who were found with abnormal heartbeats or heart conditions. That’s important, because it’s kind of something that people don’t think about. They think [heart disease is] something only for older people, but it actually happens to everyone.”

Seniors prepare to be the change they want to see

Three seniors discuss motivations, future aspirations regarding pursuit of community-based occupations

From the school-based therapist to passionate teachers, school and societal systems help students progress in many ways beyond academics. Several seniors, molded by their personal experiences, have decided to pursue these social efforts professionally.

Imaan Syed, occupational therapy:

Imaan Syed said she wants to be an occupational therapist, which would allow her to help patients build independence through physical, recreational and other forms of therapy.

Syed said one of her motivations for becoming an occupational therapist was observing the difficulties faced by her relatives, such as her grandmother who has dementia.

“I’ve watched [my cousin] rely on my aunt and uncle for everything, and he himself has told me that he feels embarrassed that he has to rely on his mom and dad,” Syed said. “After hearing that, it genuinely broke me. I was just trying to think, ‘What can I

do to help people preserve their independence?’”

Beyond what she’s observed about those around her, Syed said the support she received as a part of the foster care system makes her want to continue the cycle of support.

“For me, it’s not about money,” Syed said. “It’s just about being able to make a positive impact on people’s lives. It would bring me the fulfillment of being able to know, ‘Today, I was able to help a kid improve their motor skills,’ or ‘Hey, I helped this kid learn how to brush their teeth on their own.’ Being able to see the little steps of people progressing, there wouldn’t be anything better than that.”

Luna Cheng, teaching: Luna Cheng, who currently works with children as a gymnastics coach at Gold Star Gymnastics, said she wants to have a job that allows her to continue teaching kids, with her particular interest being in mentoring students aged around three to six.

“I’ve always really liked working with kids,” Cheng said. “Teaching is definitely one of the paths I’m considering, just because I want to be in a job where I’m always interacting with youth and making a really strong impact on them.”

Cheng said her time teaching young students, mentoring her siblings and AVID tutoring has not only amplified her passion for teaching, but also changed who she is and how she wants to use her skills to influence the students of the future.

“As a teacher, I could be one of the first adult role models in [a student’s] life beside their parents,” Cheng said. “That’s really important to me, because I want to help them be good people rather than just good students. If I’m teaching in a school setting, the most important thing that I want to teach is behavioral skills. How to be kind, how to make friends [and] how to be respectful [are the] type of things that they’re going to carry with them throughout life, beyond learning their ABCs.

Planting the seeds of wisdom

Shaurya Prayag, social work: Shaurya Prayag said she sees an expectation for students to pursue science-based careers. This often excludes options like social work, which Prayag said she intends to pursue.

Prayag said one of the things that drives her to pursue a Master’s in Social Work is the childhood abuse she faced. Through this path, she said she intends to become a child advocate, someone who speaks for children and their rights in legal battles.

“When I was a kid, I wanted someone who would protect me. Ultimately, there wasn’t really any support I was given for that,” Prayag said. “Now, as a high schooler [and] as an adult, I really want to use that experience to help other people and other children.”

One of the con-

cerns Prayag said she has is the lack of prioritization for people and resources that help families, like social workers and teachers.

“The fact that [teachers and social workers] are not being paid well, and they’re kind of being overlooked by both the government and the public is kind of frightening,” Prayag said. “I think that’ll mean that going forward, there won’t be as many people in those fields when we really need them.”

“Be open to making friends, because there’s a lot of people at HHS. If you’re just open with the people in your classes, you might find someone that you really enjoy talking to, and then you take that friendship into the next years of your high school career. It’s really nice to have that person that you’ve known that whole time, but also it’s easier, because then you get along better with people in your classes. You want to make sure you have a community in all of your classes so that if you need help, you can ask those people outside of class.”

Seniors offer up four years of experience to the mustangs still continuing their high school journey.

“A less conventional piece of advice I have is to overcommunicate. It’s way better than undercommunicating. Be annoy ing, email that teacher, ask every question until they get tired of you. If you’re in any group project, especially like a long-term one [like in yearbook], text them, just go overboard. I don’t think it’s going to backfire, other than people being annoyed at you. It’s really gonna help you, rather than keeping people in the dark.”

- Melanie Ochoa

- Trey Kwon

“For incoming freshmen, my advice is try to participate in many activ ities, like extracurricular activities and clubs. Join as many clubs as you can. Don’t focus a lot on your studies, because it’s pretty basic. The thing about freshman year is you have got to feel some experience at Homestead, and then freshman year onwards, that’s where you can lock in on your academics.”

- Anant Gupta

Luna Cheng’s experiences with younger family members translates to professional teaching.

Photo courtesy of Luna Cheng

Onward Ho! The Authoritative

While the rambunctious nature of calvin and hobbes may reflect much of the class of duo, we must venture forward with an unbounded imagination. here’s a list of where students

Arizona

Arizona State University

Luka Bulovic

California

Berkeley City College

Melany Lopez

Cal Poly Humboldt

Macie Bond

Cal Poly San Luis Obispo

Danielle Feldsher

Adrian Lang

Ren Ohara

Noa Simhon

Max Vissers

Sabrina Wong

California Baptist University

Mariko Brunemeier

CSU, Fullerton

Trey Javier

CSU, San Marcos

Melanie Ochoa

Chabot College

Ryleigh Spicer

Chapman University

Sarika Khanna

Jessica Lwin

Chico State University

Nicholas Aguilera

City College of San Francisco

Andrew Horikiri

Claremont McKenna

College

Rohan Bedekar

Supra Malepati

Aryaa Vijayakar

De Anza College

Toulouse Accola

Hector Alegria

Julia Balingit

James Bratton

Selene Bruyere

Axel Cárdenas Landa

Leo Castillo Cortez

Jennifer Castillo Garcia

Lucas Diniz Hernandez

Dario Esmailzadeh

Keyla Gallegos

Fatima Galvez

Joaquin Garcia Tuesta

Owen Gibbs

Maria Haro

Thanormporn Inthon

Leona Kovaci

Sotaro Koyama

Aditya Kumar

Trey Kwon

Samuel Lee

Sujie Liu

Erick Magana Moreno

Yareli Melchor Sotelo

Alana Medeiros

Joshua Monzon

Joyce Nicolas

Mình Đăng Nguyễn (Jerry)

Ashkan Nikan Pour

Isabel Pacheco

Amshika Paudyal

Matthew Raybon

Karime Reyes

Patricia Salazar

Emily Serrano Alas

Yahir Sayago

Vanessa Shelton

Heorhii Stepchenko

Angoliet Tomassetti

De Anza College

Toby Tran

Erick Nino Vizcarra

Jonathan Yamanaka

Nagisa Yoshida

Dominican University of California

Alaina Harlow

Foothill College

Samantha Bonet Pina

Jamie Bowles

Elora Fulcher

Bridget Hunt

Emilia Loke

Anna Lopes

Ian Graham

Anthony Greco

Jazmin Parra Cardoza

Airlyn Salcedo

Brian Sanchez

Amit Shorer

Laney College

Alexander Solis Cabrera

Loyola Marymount

University

Natalie Chen

Shantha Jayaraman

Myley Markley

Aarkan Singhal

Mission College

Katelynn Sedano

Occidental College

Diego Segovia

Otis College of Art and Design

Finn Fiedler

Pomona College

Nora Steel

Saint Mary’s College of California

Colton Nicholas

San Diego State University

Brooklyn Borges

Nathaniel Cohen

Nathan Krimsley

Kyle McDivitt

San Francisco

Conservatory of Music

Charles Wang

San Francisco State

University

Allison Hernandez

San Jose City College

Dyanne Arreola

San Jose State University

Romila Bulbule

Santiago Cardenas

Miriam Carranza

Tyler Dillon

Olivia Escalante

Nate Florentin

Camille Gan

Laxmi Kurella

Alicia Liste

Adrienne Malang

Samantha Tejeda Moreno

Adam Orrin

Aleksandra Plotnikova

Vartika Shukla

Isabelle Souza

Russell Wong

Lahari Yerragunta

Santa Clara University

Jacob Graff

Eden Rademacher

Natalia Sysak

Santa Clara University

Jessa Yang

Stanford University

Evangeline Park

UC Berkeley

Yara Abu Saude

Julia Bouron

Garrett Cai

Robin Decasper

Aayush Gaywala

Athan Kong

Matthew Leung

Orion Phan

Ryan Park

Mugdha Shinde

Chloe Wang

Jaden Yang

UC Davis

Anna Chong

Joshua Cho

Melisa Clarke

Jose Gonzalez Alliende

Yujin Jeon

Grace (Haeun) Lee

Chetana Maram

Uta Sasada

UC Irvine

Teresa Banaag

Vibha Bengani

Ohm Bhakta

Sarina Chan

Parth Dhaulakhandi

Kedar Haldar

Shannon Kunz

Megan Lee

Eric Rugina

Evan Wescott

Shannon Wu

UC Los Angeles

Mirabelle Brathwaite

Luna Cheng

Fiona Lue

Sarah Meier

Ria Nabar

Sofia Tedesco

Sophie Xing

Kaylee Yoshida

Sophia Zhong

UC Merced

Adolfo Sagrero Gonzalez

UC Riverside

Spencer Jones

Johanna Lee

Omkar Nayak

Jaden Ouyang

Alex Regidor

Aubrey White

Theo Wuo

Johnny Zheng

UC San Diego

Nathaniel Chan

Aditi Kattuparambil

Alyssa Lee

Caroline Lee

Valerie Leung

Brandon Pang

Samantha Tang

Chijul Tripathy

Lila Tsao

Melissa Wu

UC Santa Barbara

Agampreet Singh Bhatia

Boon Chew

Adrian Matta

Monty Morrison

Madelyn Chen

Timothy Rosset

Ishani Singh

UC Santa Cruz

Halves Beyer

William Chen

UC Santa Cruz

Vincent Eikenberg

Molly George

Nikunj Govil

Anant Gupta

Keshav Gupta

Nick Kamradt

Srinish Kollipara

Andrew Kwok

Parker Lin

Vittoria McClean

Iran Miranda

Peter Qian

Ruhi Shahane

Sonali Wake

Ashna Yadav

University of the Pacific

Amanda Boles

Mina Kil

Elena Shim

University of San Francisco

Cameron Chan

Vedhikaa Medampalli

University of Southern California

Mahir Bhatt

Ryan Chian

Jason Lai

Armaan Malkani

Talya Nir

Aya Piekarz

Danielle Sedillo

Aarav Shah

Jemma Yang

West Valley College

Sparsh Gupta

Franchesco Sanchez

Kamila Ramirez Sandoval

Alayah Young

Colorado

University of Colorado

Boulder

Krishna Arvind

Alyssa Kolin

Eric Larkins

Florida

University of Florida

Joshua Lee

Georgia

Emory University

Alisa Huang

Savannah College of Art and Design

Ila Ruggles

Hawaii

University of Hawaii at Manoa

Gwyneth Romero

Illinois

Illinois Institute of Technology

Jay Levenson

University of Chicago

Gabriel Nelson

University of Illinois

Urbana-Champaign

Claire Lee

Dorie Lee

Joseph Liu

Kaden Poon

Smyan Shanbhag

Dhruv Solanki

lisT of posT-secondary plans

of 2026’s tomfoolery, just like the iconic students will begin their next story.

University of Illinois

Urbana-Champaign

Kaitlyn Sun

Aiden Wang

Suri Yau

Edward Yu

Rachel Yu

Northwestern University

Henry Hu

Alyssa Miyai

Thomas Ogi

Catherine Yang

Indiana

Indiana University

Joseph Han

Kavya Krishnan

Parker Levy

Kulsum Shaik

Purdue University

Howard Cheng

Jonathan Kapuya

Anesh Lokesh

Malar Raguraman

Nyah Shrivastava

Aaron Tsang

Louisiana

Tulane University

Samyukta Rao

Maine

Bowdoin College

Agnes Ko

Maryland

University of Maryland

Noah Graff

Sravya Varanasi

Massachusetts

Boston University

Maxwell Lin

Madison Palermo

Shakthi Stalin

Northeastern University

Raashi Mishra

Emma Moser

Reesie Zhang

Williams College

Archit Gunhal

Michigan

University of Michigan, Ann Arbor

Anya Rastogi

Alex Tsang

Minnesota

Macalester College

Lova Bockert

St. Olaf College

Cash Marquez

University of Minnesota Twin Cities

Allison Brown

Conner Olesek

Missouri

Washington University in St. Louis

Drew Hamburger

Will Hamburger

Jane Ser

Nevada

University of Nevada, Reno

Amanda Brownson

New Jersey

Rutgers University, New Brunswick Ian Dodson

New York

Cornell University

Ezra Chan

Ojas Khandelwal

New York University

Karis Lin

Akhil Puttar

Meredith Tan

Vassar College Jayden Duong

Ohio

Case Western Reserve University

Sejal Singh

Neil Verma

Oberlin College Aashka Nagarkar

Ohio State University

Ronen Desai

Aditya Kamath

Tanush Patil

Shaurya Prayag

Shaaketh Sivakumar

Oregon

Oregon State University

Carl Chiu

Josephine Cline

Anya Klingner

Nadav Zelenko

University of Oregon

Allison Gonzalez

Emi Hirabayashi

Tyler Chen

Pennsylvania

Carnegie Mellon University

Vivek Athavale

Dhruv Jain

Yujun Lee

Alexander Petcu

Ranya Zhang

Lehigh University

Megan O’Dell

Nathan Saputra

Texas

Texas Christian University

Ryan Moyer

University of Texas at

Austin

William Hsu

Josh Lim

Varun Narayanan

Utah

Brigham Young University

Sarah Nelson

Washington

Seattle University

Linnaea Moore

University of Washington

Amelie Ettenger

Tristan Le

Julia Ouyang

Washington D.C.

Georgetown University

Annika Abraham

The George Washington University

Maya Dutt

Iliana Genna

Wisconsin

University of Wisconsin–Madison

Zoe Gardner

Bharath Jayadev

International

Eindhoven University of Technology (Netherlands)

Hania Nakano

Erasmus University

Rotterdam (Netherlands)

Zsofi Timar

McGill University (Canada)

Kenzie Murray

Sagami Women’s University (Japan)

Himari Kato

Temple University (Japan)

Sana Suzuki

University of Exeter (United Kingdom)

Emma Gove

Gap year

Rotem Alon

Sebastian Camargo

Naomi Darom Ben Dror

Ori Ben Haim

Rani Joseph Hangyeol Kim

Rinat Keyserman

Clara Lang

Noga Levinson

Kaylei Rodriguez

Justine Skov

Military

Brock Sundland

Coast Guard Reserves

Aidan Murphy

Marine Corps

Neftalí Nuno Caravez

Diego Rodriguez

Mission (LDS)

Weston Derham

William Derham

The world of adventure, trust and pixie dust

Rotem Alon: Kol Ami Volunteer Leadership Program

Alon will take a gap year to attend an Israeli residential program where participants help troubled youth, care for seniors citizens and assist a local hospital and school. Beyond volunteering, the language immersion will help Alon to improve her Hebrew skills, as instruction is split between English and Hebrew, Alon said.

“I can get by with my Hebrew,” Alon said. “I definitely have to improve to communicate in the slang that people [use], and that makes me nervous.”

Alon said she first heard of this program from friends in the Israeli scouts and her parents’ friends. The application process consisted of essays about herself alongside interviews with a previous student and the program director. Upon acceptance, she chose to attend, as it was an opportunity for a new experience that simultaneously helped a community.

“I haven’t lived [in Israel] since I was five, so this is definitely going to be different,” Alon said. “I’m definitely excited to work on my Hebrew skills, to live away from home for the first time and help a community that I don’t spend that much time with.”

Just as the Darling children explore the magical world of Neverland in “Peter Pan” by J.M. Barrie, seniors explore paths after high school that do not involve attending a 4-year college or university in the United States.

Will Derham: Mormon Service Mission

After graduating, Derham will serve a 24-month mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Cincinnati, Ohio. As part of his mission, his goal is to educate people about the church and help local community members. He will room with a companion and have limited contact with his parents, which helps in closing his heart to more material things so that he can focus on the church and his role as a missionary, Derham said. His parents left the decision of whether to serve this mission up to him and are supportive of his choice.

“I’m looking forward to being able to serve the people of Cincinnati, get to know them, hopefully bring them to Jesus Christ and to have them feel what many members of my church feel: the joy it has brought to their lives,” Derham said.

After finishing his service, Derham said he plans to attend college, currently considering the medical field.

Sebastian Camago: International High School Exchange Program

Sebastian Camago will attend high school in Taiwan through the Rotary Youth Exchange Program, a free, international immersion program.

The application process consisted of essays about himself and his motivations to study abroad, Camago said. After he was accepted, he was matched with a host family, which he will stay with while attending school.

Camago said he was inspired to learn Mandarin because of his father, who is trilingual. His father also did the same exchange program in the United States while he was attending high school in Venezuela.

“[My father] would refer back to that year as one of the best years

Sana Suzuki: International

University

Suzuki will attend Temple University in Tokyo, Japan, majoring in tourism, hospitality and event management. She made this decision both to be closer to her family and to make use of her Japanese and English skills in the tourism industry.

“Since I came here from Japan, I noticed how I love to talk about Japanese culture or traditions, and spread that [knowledge] to non-Japanese people,” Suzuki said. “I have a passion for it, so I think this major is going to be helpful.”

Though Suzuki said she believes going to university in the United States would bring more opportunities, she missed Japan and wanted to go back.

“I missed the food and all of my friends in Japan, and I also like to visit Japanese sites,” Suzuki said. “I’d like to stay here, [but] Japan is my home country, so I feel more comfortable learning there.”

JC Villegas: Special Warfare Combat Crewman

Villegas will join the United States Navy with an initial four-year con tract. SWCC operate small crafts for special operations missions alongside Navy SEALS.

After graduation, Villegas will undergo three months of basic training in Georgia, then 11 more weeks of training for his military occupational specialty in Naval Amphibious Base Coronado, near San Diego.

“It’s mainly drill and ceremony, just getting adapted to the military lifestyle,” Villegas said. “It’s all about showing the discipline, integrity and morals that all military personnel go through.”

Villegas added that his parents have been supportive throughout the entire process because it has been his dream since he was little, but they are also worried.

“I am the youngest in the family, so they’re a little nervous about seeing their baby go away,” Villegas said.

After the Navy, Villegas said he hopes to become a therapist for vet erans, especially those with conditions common to the military like post traumatic stress disorder.

Hungry for success

Seniors discuss how the campus community has supported them throughout high school

AVID students discuss class’s

impact

College readiness class aids seniors in journey forwards

Question: What are you going to miss the most about AVID after graduating?

Answer: “The one thing I’ll miss the most is being in the same classroom with the same people for a certain amount of time. You get to grow and bond with them. So, I’m definitely going to miss that in college because I’m not going to have that [community]. I’m not going to talk to the same people I’ve talked to for the past couple of years, and that has just become such a big part of my routine at school.”

— Miriam Carranza

Q: How have people that you have met through AVID influenced you on your path toward graduation?

A: “They were all very warm, and really encouraging, especially [AVID 12 teacher Jessica] Wakefield. She believed in all of us and was there to support us, emotionally and with academics or personal situations. So, it really helped all of us to really connect with one another.”

—

Allison Gonzalez

Immigrant students munch their way through obstacles

Former, current ELD students unpack their experiences

From overcoming language worries to encountering nurturing teachers, three students who passed through the English Language Development program discuss their experiences adjusting to life in America.

Nagisa Yoshida:

After arriving in the United States from Japan in eighth grade, senior Nagisa Yoshida said she spoke little English and struggled to make friends.

“I was scared and nervous,” Yoshida said. “I spent about half a year at Cupertino Middle School, but I didn’t have many fun experiences and memories. I was so scared, but HHS was more kind [than] I expected.”

welcoming community helped her develop a sense of belonging on campus, in addition to English language skills.

“It’s not just about any single country,” Arteaga said. “Even though we come from completely different backgrounds, we’re all going through this experience together. You get to know and understand other people, and that serves as a huge support system that helps you keep going.”

Since reclassifying out of the ELD program two years ago, Arteaga said she grew to find her voice in mainstream classes.

I didn’t let this new language stop me from continuing to study,” Martinez. “More than anything I learned patience and perseverance. I realized that if I gave up, I wouldn’t achieve everything I had always sought or everything I had been dreaming of. I couldn’t let English be an obstacle to achieving my dreams.”

Martinez said connecting with fellow Latinos on campus, including through the Latino Student Union, also eased all the feelings of out-of-placeness.

Being in an ELD class allowed her to adapt to the language and new academic environment, Yoshida said. After graduation, Yoshida said she will especially miss her teachers, who provided warm responses to her questions.

“The ELD class was so important to me because I didn’t have confidence, and I didn’t have English skills,” Yoshida said. “It was so helpful for me to improve myself. Also, I learned how to be a more confident student.”

Gianella Arteaga:

Without participating in the ELD program, senior Gianella Arteaga said her experience adapting to American life would have been drastically different. Arteaga, who arrived in the United States from Peru in 2021, said the program’s

“You do feel a bit shy to speak up in front of everyone and interact with other people,” Arteaga said. “But eventually, as you practice more, you reach a point where you don’t really care anymore whether you say things perfectly or not. Because, in the end, they understand you just the same.”

Mishell Stephania Martinez:

Upon her arrival in the United States from Mexico three years ago, senior Mishell Stephania Martinez said she felt most daunted by the prospect of being unable to understand her teachers.

Despite having to take classes below her academic level due to the language barrier, Martinez said she has made strong progress throughout her time in ELD.

“I have always loved school, and

“[EL Program Assistant] Rocio Stavoli and [Adrian] Buenrostro were always there to lend a helping hand, teach me new things and look out for my sister and I,” Martinez said. “Meeting them was the single most helpful thing in terms of adapting to the school and settling into this whole new community.”

Editor’s note: Arteaga and Martinez’s quotations have been translated from Spanish.

“The Very Hungry Caterpillar” by Eric Carle epitomizes Mustangs’ ravenous attitude towards academic excellence, as they blossom into adulthood.

Q: What lesson learned through AVID will you take with you into the future?

A: “Sometimes you have to differentiate between what’s good for you and what isn’t. It could be with people, it could be with classes, [or] it could be with tasks you’ve got to do. You have to know what you can take and what you can’t, and then move forward.”

Teachers transform seniors

Students reflect on inspirational teachers

“[English teacher James Aguirre] showed me that the world is limitless and that there are different paths to take. The story I’ve been told for a long time was you should just focus on your stud ies, and then things will come. He helped me realize that you have to look for those things.”

— Jane Ser

“[Art teacher Tyler] Cripe makes art of things you wouldn’t imagine making art out of, like horses. He just makes art out of everything. I get inspired because I realize that I can also just pick something random and draw it. And, it’s still art.”

— Sherry Li

“[SocialstudiesteacherChrissyHeaton]wantsustogrowupwithknowledgeofthegovernmentsowecanlive inacountrythatmanagestogetoutto vote.She’snotforcingustodoany ofthisoragreewithherperspectives.Shegivesusallofthetools needed for us to make our own conclusionsinawaythatIfind veryinteresting.”

— Yusuf Adel

Gianella Arteaga performs at Noche Hispana.

Photo by Alicia Liste

— Adolfo Sagrero Gonzalez

Senior Superlatives

From professional pursuits to charming pals, here are this year’s senior superlatives.

Who was the best duo?

Who was Best

Dressed?

The “Who Was...?” book series inspired us to follow in the footsteps of influential trailblazers. Who

Who is most likely to be a famous author?

Who is

likely

a

Will and drew hamburger eden rademacher

evangeline park

parth dhaulakhandi

jesus hernandez

vivek athavale

ryan park

Gabriel Nelson

arcus foo

Art drawn from within

AP art students express interests through portfolios

As AP art students worked to create 20 pieces of original artwork during the school year, their portfolios were finally submitted on May 8. Students chose a topic to dive deeper into, eventually curating a theme for their creations, art teacher Tyler Cripe said.

“The creative part, that is different for the AP art portfolio than it would be with class projects is that [the art pieces] have to connect over months, and you have to develop that theme like putting together a show,” Cripe said.

Experimenting with different mediums throughout the process, such as acrylics, watercolor and graphite, junior Chloe Dahl said her portfolio focused on inner conflicts with her identity.

“I chose to interweave [my illustrations] because I wanted to experiment to show inner conflicts between [my] younger and older self,” Dahl said. “I tried the pixelation, or cutting and pasting back together [to] show frustration, because the original piece is someone yelling like they’re being compressed and don’t know what their own identity is.”

Interested in the effects of climate change, sophomore Cynthia Li said she was inspired to cre-

ate a portfolio related to how humans interact with the environment and her critiques on the human impact on nature.

“I take the feeling you get when you look at leaves in the sun [and put it] into my art [to] show how similar being in nature and drawing makes you feel,” Li said. “It’s like a crossover, and I love to connect my knowledge and interest in the environment [with] my passion in art.”

For junior Alina Liu, her portfolio explored various kinds of mental health struggles, such as her own anxiety, which is often caused by stress, Liu said.

“One of my pieces is this girl leaning over a mirror.

The subject of that one is the control of ideas, because there’s a thought bubble, and it’s tied up with ropes. It’s colorful, and then she’s kind of scribbling it out,” Liu said. As she

continued to develop her portfolio, Liu said she began to emphasize self-expression in her art and utilize different kinds of drawing methods for her portfolio.

“Before this year, I would get stressed out if [my art piece] wasn’t planned out very well and if it used different materials other than acrylic,” Liu said. “This year, I found out it was more fun to let myself not be restricted by certain mediums or just what I’m comfortable with. That’s where the control thing comes from, if you try to control your art, then it’s not really a full expression of yourself.”

Community gathers at inaugural Hispanic event

Students learn, appreciate culture at Noche Hispana

With colorful decorations and energetic music filling the quad, the Spanish department, along with Spanish National Honor Society and the Latinx Student Union, hosted the inaugural Noche Hispana event on May 1 from 5 to 7 p.m., Spanish teacher Adrian Buenrostro said.

“This event meant the world to me,” Buenrostro said. “Here in HHS, this is my third year [teaching]. I’ve been pushing year after year to have it, so finally, we made it happen.”

Beyond the performances and food, students in Spanish classes presented cultural information on various Hispanic countries, including traditions, notable inventions and history, junior Camila Reyes said.

“My presentation was about the gastronomy of El Salvador,” Reyes said. “As an El Salvadoran,

food for me is something really representative of my country.

Not only did I get to express my country’s [culture], but also, the people who were not Latin could learn about these countries.”

Throughout the event, performers danced on the quad stage, and cultural foods and drinks, like quesadillas and agua frescas were sold in front of the cafeteria, Buenrostro said.

“It felt surreal seeing the students walking with Mexican or Latino dishes in their hands or learning about Spanish-speaking countries from presentations made by students and led by students,” Buenrostro said.

Sophomore Ahmed Kandil said Noche Hispana’s presentations allowed students to interactively connect with cultures than a typical classroom lesson could.

“Other people that aren’t very Hispanic came to explore different cultures, and by doing that, we were able to unite these people and share common ground,” Kandil said. “They may find similarities with their cul-

Graduates leave band on a high note

Seniors use band experience to elevate the department

After four eventful years filled with music, this year’s seniors will part ways with the band department, leaving a lasting impact on next year’s musicians, assistant band director Mark Lee said.

“We have a lot of really good musicians [who have] naturally become leaders and good role models for the people below them that are younger, especially in the marching band,” Lee said. “A lot of leadership are seniors who have been in the department for all four years.”

Flutist, freshman Amy Saputra said she decided to join Concert Band as a result of her brother, saxophonist, senior Nathan Saputra’s encouragement.

“[Nathan is] in marching band, so we watch each other perform during halftime [at football games],” Saputra said. “It was really fun to see him cheering me on, and I found it really fun to watch him do his drum major duties.”

Forming a close relationship with the seniors in the Wind Ensembles, euphonium player, sophomore Shourya Batra said he has received large amounts of musical advice from the seniors, ultimately enhancing his career.

“Catherine [Li] plays euphonium. I feel like she’s had a big

influence, because she’s played the same instrument with me. In the County Band, we sat next to each other, and she gave me a lot of advice,” Batra said. “Also, Ezra [Chan], he plays saxophone in Wind 1, and he’s one of the greatest players I’ve ever seen. He’s always been giving good advice to everyone, and he knows how to help people.”

Reflecting on his time with the senior class, Batra said he will miss their presence, but will continue to pass on their knowledge and impact with incoming students.

“The seniors have a really different approach when it comes to band, because they’ve had the most experience,” Batra said. “Some of them, they’ve been playing since third grade, and that is eight years. They know how to mentor all the other students within their sections and even outside their sections to make the band as best as possible.”

As a first-year teacher and alumni, Lee said he has seen both personal and musical growth within seniors, making it a melancholic experience to see them leave.

“[The seniors] really showed me a lot about what this generation of HHS looks like,” Lee said. “Seeing them step up and be a different style of leader and interact with the [other students] in a different way was really special and I’ll definitely miss them.”

tures, and that diversity is a really good place for connections to thrive.”

Beyond its activities, FUHSD trustee Pat Carpio-Aguilar, who delivered a welcoming speech at the event, said Noche Hispana created a unique environment where the entire community could bond.

“My presentation was in Spanish and English to envelope and welcome everybody,” Carpio-Aguilar said. “People connected to the food and the images, and they were taking selfies. This means a lot, and I know we’ve had other demonstrations of culture, [but] this is the first one with a Spanish-speaking background and heritage.”

For future iterations of Noche Hispana, Kandil said he hopes to see even more non-Hispanic attendance.

“Most people were coming because they’re really interested in this stuff, and that could reinforce what they already know,” Kandil said. “But to reach more people, having it during lunch or right after

school would grab the attention of more.”

With months of preparation culminating in the vibrant night, Buenrostro said the first Noche Hispana ended up being a major hit, inspiring club officers and Spanish class students alike.

“I did it in San Jose for over eight years, so I definitely know

how it can look over the years, but for being the first year, it was extremely successful,” Buenrostro said. “We did a survey in class, and students were really happy about interacting with other people, making new relationships with people they didn’t know [and] practicing their language outside of class.”

Sanjeet Jayaseelan and Alan Zhang

Noche Hispana allowed its large turnout of attendees to bond over learning about Hispanic culture, Adrian Buenrostro said.

Ethan Tan

Seniors bring upbeat energy to concerts, fostering a sense of community, Shourya Batra said.

Photo by Elina Li

AP art portfolios highlight students’ strengths and interests through art, Chloe Dahl said.

Ivy Guo and Yichen Yao

The light coming from the bottom of the ocean symbolizes hope, Cynthia Li said.

Photo by Sanjeet Jayaseelan

Photo courtesy of Chloe Dahl

Photo courtesy of Cynthia Li

Arts & Culture

Drake freezes the world with ‘ICEMAN’

‘ICEMAN’ blends pain, vengeance on industry artists

For years, Drake was widely known as the king of the hip hop industry. From albums like “Take Care” to “For All the Dogs,” he dominated charts and culture, capturing the attention of fans in various genres.

However, Drake’s reputation was shattered due to his public feud with Kendrick Lamar in 2024. Tracks like “meet the grahams” and “Not Like Us” spread derogatory allegations regarding Drake’s personal life and caused him to take legal actions against Lamar and Universal Music Group, his own label.

Then came “ICEMAN,” released May 15, reminding the world of exactly why Drake became one of the most popular rappers alive. This project delivers vengeance

while also presenting emotional honesty, making it one-of-akind within his catalogue of music available to fans.

In the emotional opener, “Make Them Cry,” Drake opens up about his father’s battle with cancer, also discussing his fractured friendships and the mental toll it takes to watch former friends celebrate his downfall.

“Make Them Cry” is one of the first Drake songs that tells a unique story about his life, moving me to tears due to its sophisticated, emotional storytelling.

Aside from “Make Them Cry,” other tracks on the album also provide immersive experiences for the message he conveys.

An example of this is “Janice STFU,” where he uses “Janice” as an analogy for the media and fans who dig deep into his private life and create negative generalizations about him.

This track is the first time Drake speaks against his fans

and the industry at large, allowing the listener to view these struggles through his eyes. Providing the public with a glimpse into his struggle makes the album feel more genuine, further immersing us in the frigid environment he hopes to cultivate with this album.

Despite this cohesive message, “ICEMAN” fails to effectively integrate featured artists into the flow of tracks, decreasing the project’s quality.

For example, while 21 Savage and Drake have previously delivered strong content as a pair, his feature on the track “B’s on the Table” is riddled with shallow, repetitive lyrical content and goes against the overall flow of the song.

Additionally, “ICEMAN” loses momentum in the latter half of the album. Songs like “Firm Friends,” “Little Birdie” and “Don’t Worry” drift away from the album’s core message of re-

silience and outlasting industry pressure. They also see Drake take on a defensive attitude, counteracting the cold image he looks to present.

After stretches of focused, emotionally charged tracks, these songs feel like filler in an otherwise cohesive project. An album with only 13-14 tracks could have served fans a lot better.

Despite these shortcomings, the core ideas covered in “ICEMAN” showcase Drake’s growth hoping for a shot back to the top.

The project showcases a side of Drake that we have never seen before, using his personal stories and hunger for vengeance to produce an album that gives off cold, dark vibes while simultaneously opening Drake’s

Met Gala trades artistry for affluence

Ultra-wealthy attendees disrupt fashion gala to flaunt wealth, not art

Emma Chang

The Met Gala has long been regarded as one of the fashion scene’s most culturally significant events, showcasing designers’ most abstract creative works, uniting celebrities and artists to celebrate self expression and innovation.

Every year, attendees interpret themes through unique outfits intended to express thoughtful design. But the event has recently shifted gears into an outlet for the wealthy to display their status and influence.

Exorbitantly wealthy people showing up too lazy to follow the theme is unacceptable and ruins the gala’s appeal.

This year’s outfit theme was “Costume Art,” which can be interpreted to recognize the fundamental connection between fashion and human anatomy.

Unfortunately, billionaires such as Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Google co-founder Sergey Brin attended this year’s event dressed with little align ment to the theme, disrupting the harmony of the event.

Additionally, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and his wife, Lauren Sánchez Bezos were co-sponsors of the event, shifting the spotlight away from cultural representa tion superfluously. Sponsorships like this are lavish and unneces sary to the gala.

Designers spend months visu alizing unique, concept-driv en outfits, and celebri ties set time aside in their busy sched ules to attend the gala. Despite this meticulous preparation, creators are overshadowed by

billionaires that have no regard for artistic talent.

Moreover, several influential

heart, mind and soul to all of his audience.

After two years of silence, Drake stopped the industry in its tracks with “ICEMAN.” This album does not just rehabilitate his image as a top-tier hip hop and R&B artist, it puts the rest of the hip hop business on thin ice.

Album: ICEMAN

Grade: B+

Artist: Drake

tial figures frown upon billionaires’ attending in inappropriate attire, further proving their in-

Fashion’s fiercest boss is back

A stylish legacy continues with ‘The Devil Wears Prada 2’

Returning once again as the most iconic film in the fashion realm, “The Devil Wears Prada 2” strutted into theaters on May 1 with class, extravagance and a new challenge to conquer: the modern world.

As someone who counted down the days until this film was released, I am ecstatic to say that it exceeded my expectations. From lively characters and plot development to rich and extravagant visuals, the film reflected today’s media-centered world while still remaining true to fashion.

20 years have passed, and Runway magazine now suffers from a rapid decline in print sales as they fight to remain relevant in the new, digital world. After unfortunate events, protagonist Andy Sachs, played by Anne Hathaway, is shockingly reunited with a now-leaden Miranda Priestly.

As an effective production change, the movie showcased powerful fashion looks for each character, staying true to their personalities while also showing their personal evolution over time.

This can be observed particularly with the characters’ previous vintage clothing to their now more refined style. This aspect helped the film stay true to its fashion-based roots while still taking on a fresh perspective, showing a

more realistic portrayal of a business that grows and evolves.

Although the previous movie focused on Andy’s personal development, “The Devil Wears Prada 2” zoned in more on Miranda’s vulnerability, while still keeping her strong boss energy.

Portrayed by Meryl Streep, Miranda is the beating heart of both Runway and the film itself. As Editor-in-Chief of the magazine, she leads with a sharp, fierce confidence and ambition. However, a new side to her is revealed as she comes to the realization that the fashion industry is moving past her.

In an emotional climax, we see the ambitious boss fall to despair, much different from her usual demeanor. Through this experience, Miranda realizes that moderniza-

tion within the fashion business was an opportunity to innovate.

This theme made the movie feel more personal, and it gave me perspective on how the digital world impacts art and businesses.

“The Devil Wears Prada 2” went beyond feelgood 2000s vibes, incorporating a relevant issue while still maintaining engagement and plot integrity.

The film did not speak solely to aesthetics, but also to the future of fashion, journalism and the arts. It served as an ambassador for creatives in modern society, showing that

these mediums always will be significant.

Movie: The Devil Wears Prada 2

Grade: A+ Watch in theaters.

From personal stories to vengeful lyrics, Drake’s “ICEMAN” provides fans with a deep dive into himself.

Advay Ranade

Isabela Guilardi

The iconic 2000s fashion film returns with more depth and fashion.

red carpet is erasing cultural representation that the Met Gala is aiming to cultivate.

Billionaires such as Jeff and Lauren Sánchez Bezos overshadow the culture the Met Gala represents. Rather than being sponsored by a luxury brand such as Louis Vuitton, the Bezoses broke the tradition by sponsoring the event.

Photo from Mixtape Madness

Photo from Press Kit

Illustration by Emma Chang

Multisport athletes keep every season in play

Zorez Syed, Leonardo Gonzalez reflect on journeys

Advay Ranade and Alan Zhang

Various students play sports across several seasons, showcasing their abilities and dedication, athletic director Chris Grossman said. Sophomore Zorez Syed and freshman Leonardo Gonzalez explain their experiences on different sports teams and how they navigate through conflicting schedules, styles of play and time management.

Zorez Syed (Water Polo, Basketball, Swimming)

As a member of the

varsity water polo, JV basketball and JV swimming teams, Syed said sports were an essential part of his upbringing.

“The reason I got into water polo was because of my uncle. He was my main motivation [and] made me go to practice every day,” Syed said. “I really enjoyed basketball since I was a little kid, and that passion just continued through high school.”

Since being on multiple sports teams, Syed said his time management has improved due to his commitment to both maintaining a strong academic standing and being present at sport practices.

Depending on the sport he is playing, Syed said he has needed to adjust his mindset to play appropriately based on the level of experience on each team, while also making new connections

playing on these sports teams.

“If you do multiple sports, then you also meet a lot of different people, and that in itself I really enjoy,” Syed said. “You get to know more people, learn more about their experiences and get more people to hang out with. If you’re okay at time management, I’d highly recommend it.”

Leonardo Gonzalez (Football, Soccer)

Playing on both the JV football and JV soccer teams, Gonzalez said he chose these sports because he enjoyed the play styles they offer.

By taking part in both sports, Gonzalez said he has learned versatile skills such as leadership, teamwork and resilience, which he has been able to apply to both sports teams.

“Football helped me to get more in shape for both of my sports seasons,” Gonzalez said. “Since I have sports the entire year, for football, I need to bulk more, and I need to be leaner for soccer. I need to cycle through bulking and cutting, and that is a struggle sometimes.”

Gonzalez said sports have allowed him to make many unforgettable memories.

“Our football team was against Fremont. Playing both offense and defense, it was a very nice moment,” Gonzalez said. “For soccer, [getting] moved up to varsity and just vibing with all the seniors was a good moment.”

Ivan Hwang bats his way to Athlete of the Month

Freshman’s hitting talent helps him stand out

Natasha Bandil

Joining the varsity baseball team as a freshman this year, Ivan Hwang, who is designated hitter and third baseman has made an impact to the team, bringing a refreshing confident and youthful energy to the field, coach Travis Sunseri said.

“When I first met Ivan, I saw a lot of potential in him from the first day of practice,” Sunseri said. “I called him up to be on the varsity roster, and he’s contributed since day one.”

Hwang said his connection with baseball began when he was 10 years old, starting with playing as a hobby to being a significant aspect of his life.

Putting his practice into action, one of Hwang’s proudest moments came in a non-league game against Pioneer High School, where he hit his first home run of the season, Sunseri said.

“We played at Pioneer High School,” Sunseri said. “And he hit his first home run, which was pretty impressive. He hit it to deep left center field, and at that moment I was like, ‘Okay, this kid can hit the baseball.’.

Hwang’s teammates have also seen his influence firsthand, catcher, sophomore Joshua Fraleigh said.

A season to remember

“Sometimes we’re down, then he’ll hit a home run, and we’ll be back in the game,” Fraleigh said. “Anytime he’s up to bat, we’re motivated because he might just hit a home run and tie up the game.”

For Hwang, success at the plate comes from treating each turn at bat as a chance to take control and set the tone against the pitcher.

“When you’re in the box and about to hit, you gotta get in the zone, and have the mindset of, you gotta show this pitcher who’s the boss around here,” Hwang said. “That’s the mindset I’ve had all year. I think especially last month, it started to work.”

Looking ahead, Sunseri said Hwang’s ability to perform under pressure has allowed him to be successful during the season.

“I think Hwang has the ability to succeed in those,” Sunseri said. “He’s still young, [and] has a lot of room to grow. I think that he can stand out when handling tough situations, because he’s a gowith-the-flow kind of guy.”

Hwang works hard at practice,

As summer nears and sports seasons end, athletes look back on the school year, cherishing the unforgettable memories they wish they could experience again.

“The

“One moment from the season I wish I could relive would be the trip we took to LA for the All American tournament. We went there for a weekend, and we had a really great time. It was a great time to know my teammates a lot better.”

— Sebastian Camargo (12)

“In the tournaments we didn’t play with our team, we played with a different team, with one person from our team, and it was kind of nice getting to know the people from those teams and just getting to know everyone. Seeing how everyone else plays and how the schools are was really cool. Everyone was friends and nice to each other, so that was one of the highlights of my season.”

— Caleb Swineford (9)

“I think it would be our last game. I definitely made a lot more friends from Wilcox, and even from our team, and I think that’s the day where everyone really bonded with each other.”

— Zainab Baig (11)

Joshua Fraleigh said.

Zorez Syed (left) and Leonardo Gonzalez (right) both utilize skills learned from multiple sports, making them versatile athletes.

Photo courtesy of Leonardo Gonzalez

Palo Alto was the first time this season where we won. Given it was some of the seniors’ first time since their freshman year, I think everyone was just kind of tired but happy. It was a good last home meet to have.”

— Naomi Chi (11)

Photo courtesy of Zorez Syed

Capturing visual art

Capturing visual art

Whether to record precious memories or express artistic visions, visual art can be seen in various aspects of life. Students photographers shed light on their connection with photography and videography.

Inside the darkroom

Photography features different photo styles that allow students to each portray different pieces of the world. Freshman Zoe Castaneda, senior Elena Shim and sophomore Ahmed Kandil showcase unique facets of their favorite styles.

“In sports photography, you get a really cool connection with the players, especially if you’re friends with them. It’s the best feeling.”

“I like portrait photography because I can capture the memory as how I remembered it. I get to cherish a lot of small moments. I get to pick out details that might not matter, but photography makes me notice a lot of things I wouldn't notice if I weren't taking photos.”

Editingthroughtheirlens

- Elena Shim (12)

“Nature photography is honestly just about being at the right place at the right time. You could go out with the perfect camera and perfect settings, but if the light is not hitting right or the animal just walks away, there is nothing you can do about it.”

Bringing the vision to life, video editors junior James Pablo and sophomore Ivaan Kawade share their interests and illustrate their process of artistic vision.

“Whenever I edit, I always start with a specific song because it gives me a framework and structure for what I want it to feel like. Then, I use CapCut to manipulate certain things to make the video look the way I want it to. I make videos of video game characters and fandoms I’m a part of, and I believe I could do it better than a lot of the low-effort videos

“I realized that I actually like taking videos more, and that worked really well with the environments of photographers at HHS. I like to have really good transitions [in editing], or hard cuts that go with the beat. There’s [also] stuff like audio design [where] you’re able to visualize the beats, which helps a lot with color grading, and makes the video look really nice.”

- Ivaan Kawade (10)

FocusinginonTimothyBasler

Taking his work beyond Yearbook, junior Timothy Basler narrates his journey as a part-time student photographer.

From borrowing a 15-year-old camera to shooting film sets in San Francisco, junior Timothy Basler has turned a yearbook hobby into a growing photography hustle.

“One of my friends was directing a show outside of school, and they wanted photos of their dress rehearsal, so she reached out to take photos,” Basler said. “[This] got me into the whole theater photography. Through that, I have met a bunch of new people who have then kind of of fered me more gigs outside of school.”

One of his standout moments was at the Bell Game, where he captured HHS’s 40-0 victory, Basler said. The excited energy after the game made it one of the best shooting experiences he has had.

“I started taking photos of the football team during their season, and that really started spurring me on, and it brought me to where I am today,” Basler said. “At the Bell game, I got a very good photo of Raul De Los Santos, the emotion on his face was unbelievable.”

Lights! Camera! Action! HHS drama brings a performance to HHS, showcasing the work that they have perfected throughout the year.

The film festival, open to all students, will

by each group this Friday, May 29.

Films will also be available to watch afterward on the club's You- Tube channel, Homestead Studios.

While each group brings its own creative focus, whether editing, color, or storytelling, the club as a whole emphasizes technical filmmaking skills.

screen the short films created

- Zoe Castaneda (9)

- Ahmed Kandil (10)

Photo courtesy of Ahmed Kandil

Photo courtesy of Elena Shim

Photo courtesy of Zoe Castaneda

- James Pablo (11)